Saturday 8 July 2023 - Dolgellau parkrun #305

It was the third time that we'd visited this friendly parkrun. A group of 89 runners and walkers braved the pedestrians and cyclists on the old railway track along which the 5km course goes 'there and back' twice.

Sue and I were a little slower or 'puffed out' than normal, perhaps due to a lack of breakfast.

The parkrunners of Dolgellau are very lucky in that a couple of minutes away from the finish is one of the best cafés in Wales - TH Roberts (an old ironmongers shop) - it's superb.

Home from Home

Dinner on the balcony.

The sun was setting as we returned from a 5km stroll. 

Note that as we have no WiFi here, I'll add most of the pictures when we get home.

Lovely Linda

 

Thursday 6 July 2023

Another sad day. We assembled in a full church to say a final goodbye to Linda Collier, who recently passed away after a short illness. She was indeed a lovely person, and will be fondly remembered, and missed, by many - including those of us who first enjoyed her company as students in the Tech Domski Hiking and Hostelling Club (TDHHC) and at the shared flat in Ellesmere Road, Chorlton, where many folk gravitated to visit Linda and her flatmates in the power rationed days of the early 1970s.

Linda's husband, Mike, passed away five years ago - see here. She also organised a lovely reunion last July - see here.

Wednesday 5 July 2023 - Didsbury and the Mersey Valley with SWOG

Despite some determined threats, the rain held off for this gentle evening stroll close to home with over 20 members of SWOG (Stockport Walking and Outdoor Group).

We took a convoluted 7 km route from The Didsbury (a pub in Didsbury). Setting off at 7:30 and finishing at 9:00 on a gloomy but warm evening, we followed pleasant paths led by Didsbury residents, Harvey and Helen.

We started through the gardens in Fletcher Moss Park (below), on a path that led to the River Mersey's embankment (above).

After crossing the river, we passed newish housing in Northenden.

The Mersey here flows over a weir in an area where there used to be stepping stones. Life here must have been very different then, without the embankments to contain the river. Tonight a number of Canada Geese were feeding in the river on the weir, which must have been providing some tasty morsels.

Work seems to have stopped on the project to turn what used to be the Tatton Arms into apartments, etc. Perhaps the developer ran out of money?

From there, we re-crossed the river and returned along the embankment and through Millgate Fields.

A very pleasant stroll over familiar ground. Thanks to Harvey and Helen for leading. Here's the flattish 7 km route.

Wednesday 5 July 2023 - Our Tame Heron is back

This tame bird allows you to about two metres before it flies off. So we know our limits and try not to disturb its fishing in the canal.

Monday 3 July 2023 - An Evening with the Wyre Levee Stompers

The Wyre Levee Stompers joined us at Eagley Jazz Club from their residency at the Stocks and Shilling in Poulton-le-Fylde. They delighted their audience with their lively trad jazz.

The band's line-up of excellent musicians was:

John Smith (drums/vocals),  Frank Carter (bass guitar),  Mike Pearson (trombone),  Willy Barrow (banjo/guitar/vocals),  Bill Barrow (reeds/vocals) and band leader, and Pete Lindup (trumpet/cornet/vocals/compere).

Another good night out in Bolton.

Sunday 2 July 2023 - Yet Another Visit to Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

Today it's a 'Vintage' day, with much slower cars than last time's.

Soon after we arrived, the brakes of a little red car failed as it was descending back down the hill. It crashed into a silver car before nearly rolling over. That would have been painful for the lady driver..

After removal of the debris, the cars continued their descent, including this little yellow car.

I took a few photos in the car park. Without my decent camera, these were easier to get into focus than the pictures taken on the hill.

Many more pictures were taken, all slightly or more out of focus.

We had a good look around the paddock.

Then it was back past the car park for a final view from the hill.

This is just a selection of the photos taken. The rest are in a Dropbox file here.

Saturday 1 July 2023 - A Family Picnic

It's nearly two years since the last family picnic organised by Sue. (Report here.) This year nearly forty of her relatives attended the gathering at St Nicholas Park in Warwick. An excellent turnout and a great day, despite a few missing faces. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

Here are a few of the pictures - a Dropbox file link should at some point be sent to family members.

Saturday 1 July 2023 - Brueton parkrun #604

Having driven down to Solihull on Friday evening, we assembled in a squad of 470 runners at the Brueton parkrun. Sue got in the mix at the front, whilst I assumed my usual position at the back.

Here we are at the start.

And before that, we just milled around. This is the fourth time we've done this 5km run on good surfaces in the large and pleasant park, but the course seems to change every time we visit.

I got around in a leisurely 29 minutes - position 269 out of 470 - so I did manage to pass 200 people. Sue managed to avoid the finish, so she didn't get a time! There's a message here: even if you collect a finishing token and get properly scanned, you still need to actually go through the finishing funnel.

Full results are here.